John Haggerty (Canadian football)

John Haggerty III (born 6 February 1995) is an Australian professional gridiron football punter for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

John Haggerty
No. 29     Toronto Argonauts
Haggerty with the Toronto Argonauts in 2023
Born: (1995-02-06) 6 February 1995 (age 29)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Career information
StatusActive
CFL statusGlobal
Position(s)Punter
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight225 lb (102 kg)
CollegeWestern Kentucky
CFL draft2022G, round: 1, pick: 4
Drafted byToronto Argonauts
Career history
As player
2022–presentToronto Argonauts
Career highlights and awards
CFL East All-Star2022, 2024
Career stats

Early life

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Haggerty grew up in Sydney, Australia, where he played rugby, Australian rules football, and soccer.[1] His biggest inspiration in sports was Kobe Bryant and he played football with Michael Dickson.[1]

College career

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After attending Prokick Australia, a program designed to train Australian athletes in gridiron football, Haggerty was recruited to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers program where he played college football from 2019 to 2021.[2] He set single-season program records for punting average in each of his three years, with 45.7 yards in 2020, 45.9 yards in 2019, and 48.7 yards in 2021.[2]

Professional career

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Haggerty was drafted in the first round, fourth overall by the Toronto Argonauts in the 2022 CFL Global Draft and signed with the team on 10 May 2022.[3] Following 2022 training camp, he was named the team's punter, allowing Boris Bede to focus on placekicking.[4] He played in his first career professional game on 16 June 2022, against the Montreal Alouettes, where he had four punts for a 51.2-yard average and scored two singles in the one-point victory.[5] Haggerty played in 17 regular season games where he had 107 punts for a 48.2-yard average, 36.9 yards net, and five singles.[6] He was named a CFL East All-Star at the end of the regular season.[7] He also played in his first Grey Cup game where he had six punts for a 49.2-yard average as the Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24–23 in the 109th Grey Cup and Haggerty won his first championship.[6][8]

Personal life

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Haggerty and his wife, Spenser, have one son, Lincoln John Haggerty, who was born in July 2021.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "A busy man: WKU's punter from down under juggles family and football". College Heights Herald. 30 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "John Haggerty". Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Argos Sign eleven from 2022 CFL Draft class". Toronto Argonauts. 10 May 2022.
  4. ^ "John Haggerty". Toronto Argonauts. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Argos outlast Als in season opener". Toronto Argonauts. 16 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b "2023 CFL Guide Book" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Updated List of 2022 CFL Division All-Stars". Canadian Football League. 2 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Play-by-Play, 109th Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. 20 November 2022.
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